Halstad Art Wall

1) What is the central idea of your concentration?

In everyday life, we often occupy seemingly mundane spaces with ordinary objects. Whether it be a school, a building, or your own bedroom, there is a monotony and routine that makes us jaded to dull surroundings. However, upon close observation, one can notice that those very locations can be full of animation and radiance, from the reflection on the window, to the sunset on the building face. In IB art, I have been interested in investigating this hidden vitality. Consequently, the central idea of my concentration was golden luminescence in the context of still life. In my concentration, I explored how dimly lit areas can be given a certain aura and charm when golden glow was deliberately included on surfaces. In a room nearly enveloped in dark shadow or perhaps even in a stark blue sky, values of yellow, particularly the rich golden color often associated with a metallic gleam, could be used to manipulate tone from downcast or passive to optimistic and even playful. In the concentration I also aimed to demonstrate the spectrum of subjects that could be enhanced with such vibrant light, using a variety of subjects and compositions. The collection was a reflection on the subtle yet notable manifestation of a halo effect of gold light, and its ability to dictate my work’s artistic identity.

2) How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea?

The concentration of golden glow began with exploration of still life in the form of a bottle. I had previously enjoyed the process of depicting transparency and glass with refraction of light, and continued that in my concentration. Following the theme of vibrant color choice, I selected a bright red foreground and golden-beige background, which filtered through the bottle’s various ridges and indentations. In sections almost ethereal with thin glass and golden light, the piece reflected that same charm described previously. I then transitioned into exploration of the golden light through portrait, which is where the playful and innocent quality was utilized. The portrait was of a young boy sleeping in his bed wearing a plastic grown, and I think that the contrast between the heavy darkness surrounding his back with the shining golden crown and enhanced auburn-pink in the face created the desired effect. The concentration’s idea of specifically having the reflective gold material was important in showing that fanciful and whimsical youth. In my first year of IB, I had done an oil painting of architecture that contained similar lighting, and decided that this would be a good idea for the third piece which was a copula atop a colonial building at sunset, done in oil pastel however. This piece on the other hand utilized gold lighting for the purpose of creating an impressive yet peaceful structure, surrounded by bright blue sky. The usage of oil pastel was then addressed in a similarly serene and delicate way in the landscape done of the porch light shining on a snowy back yard. Overall the concentration explores these many ways of using golden glow in still life.